THUS ends the Life of Darius, a Prince endued with many great and excellent Qualities, which however fometimes gave way to feveral great Faults, which very much tarnished the Glory of his Reign.

As the Epitaph of this Prince hath fomething very fingular in it, I fhall here add it:

Ἡ δυνάμην καὶ οινον πίνειν πύλυν και το τον φερειν καλώς.

CHA P. II.

CONTAINS the Reign of Xerxes, which continued for twelve Years only, but is full of Action, and crouded with a rich Harveft of great Events. As foon as he was mounted on the Throne, he employed the first Year of his 4.M.3519 reign in continuing the warlike Preparationswhich his Father had begun for the Expedition against Egypt, and confirmed to the Jews all the Privileges that had been formerly granted them by his Father Darius; particularly that which af figned them the Tribute of Samaria to furnish Victims, and defray the other Expences of the Temple.

THE fecond Year he marched with his Army against the Egyptians, and after he had fubdued them, returned the fame Year to Sufa. This Year was born the famous Hiftorian Herodote, at Halicarnaffus in Caria; he is called the Father of all prophane Hiftory, and the chief Author of this and the former Period.

Xerxes puft up by his Succefs against the Egyptians, refolved to carry the War againft the Greeks, and discharged those of his Houfhold to buy him any more Figs that came from Attica, (which were accounted the beft)

faying,

faying, that he would eat none of them, till the Country was his own; fo fure did he think himself of the Succefs of his Expedition. Nevertheless, before he engaged in an Enterprize of fo great importance, he thought proper to confult the Opinions of all the wife Men of his Empire; he acquainted them with his Refolutions, and exposed to them in the strongest Terms the Obligation he thought himself under to revenge the Infolence of the Athenians, and to repair the Affront received at the Battle of Marathon: he alfo explain'd to them the great Advantages that might be expected from the Succefs of that War, feeing it wou'd pave a Way for the entire Conqueft of all Europe.

Mardonius, whom the Disgrace he had formerly met with in his Expedition against Greece, had neither made wifer, nor less ambitious, being the first that offered to speak, and knowing Xerxes's Temper,flatter'd him with the hopes of certain Conqueft, making him believe that nothing could ftand before him. The reft of the Council, though of a contrary Opinion, perceiving that the King very much relifhed the flattering Speech of Mardonius, and not daring to expofe their real Sentiments, kept filence, till at length the brave Artaban his Uncle, took the liberty in a noble Speech (such as he had formerly made to Darius) to expose both the Danger and Fruitleffnefs of that Defign; and at the fame time feverely reproved the dif honesty and rashness of Mardonius's Advice. Notwithstanding this, Xerxes purfued his firft Refolution, defending himfelf againft, the wholefome Advice of his Unele Artaban, by an idle Pretext of his having been thereto encouraged

the

the Night before by a Vifion, which promis'd him Success to his Arms.

THE War being thus refolved upon, that there might be nothing neglected which could contribute to make his Defigns fucceed, he entered into a League with the Carthaginians 3 the Subftance whereof was, that whilft the Perfian Army attacked Greece, they should apply their Arms against their Colonies in Italy and Sicily, in order to find them Employment at home, and divert them from coming to the Affiftance of the other Greeks.

THUS Xerxes, conformable to the Prediction of Dan.xi. 2.Daniel, by his Power and great Riches raised against Greece all the Kingdoms of the then known World.

ALL things being prepared, the fifth Year of his Reign he began his March towards Sardis, the Place appointed for the Rendezvous of all his Forces; his Fleet alfo advanced along the Coast of Afia Minor towards the Hellefpont, which he paffed the following Summer with his Army upon two Bridges of Boats, which he had ordered to be conftructed with vaft Labour and Expence. It was before this Paffage into Europe, that he ordered the Reprefentation of a Sea-fight to be performed; and being feated upon aThrone which he had ordered to be erected on a high Place, from whence he had a full View of all his Force, which was fo great, that it covered both Sea and Land round about him; and tho' he accounted himfelf the happiest of all Mortals, yet this melancholly Reflexion made upon that occafion, that before an hundred Years there should not one of all these thousands remain alive, forced Tears from his Eyes.

THERE

THERE are many other things very remarkable, which our Author gives a full Account of, that happened during the course of this March; fuch are the Orders that Xerxes gave to cut a Paffage for his Ships through Mount Athos, and the threatning Letter he sent to the Mountain itself on this occafion. The Defcription he gives of the making of these Bridges, and the Punishment Xerxes ordered to be inflicted on the Sea for breaking the firft Bridge, are all glaring Inftances of the Vanity and Folly of this Prince. There is alfo an Account of the Interview that he had with Pythieufa Prince of Lydia, and of Pythieufa's Wife's Contrivance to cure her Husband of his extraordinary Covetousness, and bad Treatment of his Subjects, by ordering one day, when he was fet down to Table very hungry, nothing to be ferved up but Gold; thereby convincing him of the small Value of that Metal, any farther than it was of real Ufe in Life.

Xerxes having pafs'd the Hellefpont with his Army, wherein there were feven Days and feven Nights employed, he advanced across the Cherfonefe of Thrace to Dorifque, a City near the Mouth of the River Heber, and having ordered his Fleet to follow him, he made a Review of his whole Forces, which, according to Herodote, who lived at that time, amounted to two millions one hundred thousand Land Forcès, three hundred thousand Marines on board of thirteen hundred fighting Ships, and two hundred and forty thousand Men on board of three thousand Tranfports; in all two millions fix hundred and forty thoufand: befides these, the Servants, Eunuchs, Suttlers and Women, No XX. 1732. VOL, IV.

K

that

that followed the Army, amounted to as many more; fo that the whole Number of People that followed Xerxes in this Expedition, were five millions two hundred and eighty thousand a number almoft incredible, were it not attefted by fo good Authorities as that of Herodote, Plutarch, and Ifocrates. And according to the Computation of Herodote, there could be no lefs than feven hundred thousand Bufhels of Corn, each Day required to nourish this great Multitude. In all that great Army there was none to be found that could equal or be compared with Xerxes himself, either for Stature or Beauty of Countenance; a poor Elogium for a Prince, and a General of fo great an Army, when no other good Quality accompany'd

them.

THE Lacedemonians and Athenians, against whom this mighty Storm was chiefly directed, did not continue idle; they fent Deputations to Argos, Sicily, Crete, and Corcyra to demand Succours: but of all these there was none that fent them any, except fixty Ships from Corcyra, who under pretext that they were detained by contrary Winds, continued in a State of Inactivity, till they faw which way Fortune would turn the Scales; fo that the Lacedemonians and Athenians were left deftitute of all Affiftance to ftand or fall by themfelyes.

THE Athenians chofe Themistocles for their General; who foreseeing the Storm that threatned them from Perfia, and being refolved to prepare against it, had taken care under fome other pretence to equip a Fleet of one hundred Ships, which were afterwards of very fignal fervice, and proved the greateft Mean to preferve Greece from Ruin.

THERE

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